A fab collection of work from the second great wave of girl group music – the great run of female groups that rose to the forefront during the power pop generation, then continued to burn strongly all through the following decade! You'll recognize a few of the names here from bigger hits on the radio – but as with the previous Ace Records collection in this series, the focus is on tight early tunes that really hew to the sharp, catchy vibe of the power pop generation – music that's as lean as punk, but a lot more friendly – and free from some of the moodier modes that would later emerge in grunge, shoegaze, and other styles to come! The music is as playful as the cover – and supported with the usual great Ace Records notes and attention to detail – in a package that features 25 titles that include "Hit The Ground" by The Darling Buds, "Knock Knock Knock" by The MnMs, "The Real World" by The Bangles, "Goodbye To You" by Scandal, "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways, "Dream Lover" by The Rebel Pebbles, "Just Before Mary Goes" by Universal Honey, "Jimmy Loves Maryann" by Josie Cotton, "Way Behind Me" by The Primitives, "Cruel To Be Kind" by Letters To Cleo, "Lipstuck" by Eve's Plum, "I Wanna Go Home" by Holly & The Italians, "Vacation" by The Textones, "Glad Again" by Fuzzy, and "Boys Are Drinking" by The B Girls. CD

San Francisco is well-known as ground zero for the Summer Of Love – and the city gave us plenty of big bands that helped push the new sounds of the 60s firmly into the rock mainstream – but at the same time, the city also housed plenty of lesser-known acts and really experimental groups who were making some amazing sounds that never fully got their due! This set completely corrects that lack – by digging deep into the SF scene of the late 60s, and coming up with handfuls of fuzzy nuggets that show us that there's still plenty to discover from this ultra-rich moment in music – a time when there was so much greatness going down, even a collection like this only scratches the surface. And yet, that scratch is one hell of a treat – as the whole thing's filled with lots of unissued tracks from back in the day, rare singles, and lots more – all originally produced at Golden State Recorders, and documented here in some very well-done notes. Titles include "Blow Up" by The Goody Box, "Meditorium" by The Carnival, "Start Seeing" by The Short Yellow, "Sunday At The Lotus Parlor" by The Gants, "Chasing Rainbows" by The Bristol Boxkite, "Wet Chant" by The Immediate Family, "Daddy's Zoo" by The Tow Away Zone, "Black Diamonds" by Ticket Agents, "Speed" by Celestial Hysteria, "F*ck For Peace" by Magician, "Don't Worry Me" by The Seventh Dawn, and "My Kind Of People" by Just Slightly Richer. CD

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. CD

Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional quality and excellent performances – but it is flat out fun! As the title states, strains of pop, beat & bossa – plus mod & psychedelic fuzz – and the vocals girl group vocals are bright, rocking, playful or sultry or innocent depending on the groove! 25 tracks in all: "Black Room by Jun Mayuzumi, Sharock No 1" by Mie Nakao, "Nagisa No Tenshi" by Mieko Hirota, "Hatsu Koi No Letter" by Miki Obata, "Bazazz Tengoku" by The Cupids, "Aeba Suki Suki" by Margaret With Bunnys, "Nukui Aitsu" by Mika Nohira, "Kiiro No Sekai" by J Girls and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Mad sounds from the late 60s world of Japanese pop – a mindblowing, ear-opening batch of singles we never would have gotten our hands on otherwise! The music here feels like sounds coming out of some backroom jukebox in a Nikkatsu "new action" film – or maybe the kind of offbeat pop that Quentin Tarantino might throw into a soundtrack – but there's also a much deeper range of sounds going on than you might expect, with wonderfully clever instrumentation, and lots of surprisingly heartfelt passages in the vocals! And sure, the language might be a barrier – but there's a really universal sense of appeal to this music – a variant of 60s soul and pop, focused through a different sort of lense – and the instrumentation alone is great – with wicked guitars, Hammond, and other garagey touches! As usual with Ace, the whole thing's supported with nicely detailed notes that tell the whole story behind these wonderful lost gems (we like this one even better than the fab first volume) – and titles include "Namida No Go Go" by Emy Jackson & Blue Comets, "Koi Gurui" by Chiyo Okumura, "Tokyo No Hito" by The Peanuts, "Warui Kuse" by Kazumi Yasui, "Boy & Girl" by Akiko Wada, "Namida No Mori No Monogatari" by Akiko Nakamura, "Saike Na Machi" by Reiko Mari, "Bazazz No 1" by Kayoko Ishuu, and "Furi Furi 5" by Linda Yamamoto. CD

Planet Mod is a pretty groovy place – a spot in the solar system where rock, blues, and soul effortlessly blend together – thanks to the mighty talents of the legendary producer Shel Talmy! The set here is a great dip into the farther reaches of Talmy's records of the 60s – way past the hits, to show the kind of magic that really made the studio genius such a key force in developing the sound of London at the time – often with a fair bit of influence from America, but in a way that was already shifting into fresh British modes for the new audiences overseas. As always with Ace, the package and presentation are stunning – and the set even features some rare tracks that truly come from the vaults, mixed with other obscure singles, and supported with a great deal of notes. 24 tracks in all – and titles include "Mai Lee" by John Lee Hooker, "Don't Let It Be" by The Tribe, "Goodbye Girl" by The Preachers, "Goodbye So Long" by The Soul Brothers, "Broken Truth" by A Wild Uncertainty, "Life's Too Good To Waste" by Tony Christie & The Trackers, "Stone Crazy" by Screamin Jay Hawkins, "Too Much Of A Woman" by The Corduroys, "Have You Ever Had The Blues (alt take)" by Ray Gates, "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by John Lee's Groundhogs, "Unto Us (demo version)" by The New Breed, and "Think" by The Total. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet sampling of late 60s psyche from the American underground – a collection of work by different groups who represent some of the most obscure artists on the Mainstream label at the time – fleshed out here with a slew of bonus tracks that more than doubles the running time of the original album! The work here is all generally pretty hard rocking – heavy on guitars, with lots of fuzz – sometimes in support of sweeter-styled lyrics and a dreamier, more melodic feel, other times set to darker and more hallucinatory themes. The 12 original album tracks include "Hungry Women" and "No Me Tomorrow" by Euphoria, "Wind Dream" and "Baby Dear" by The Wildflower, "My Dear & Kind Sir" and "I Think I'm Down" by The Harbinger Complex, and "Walking Down The Road" and "Streetcar" by The Other Side. There's a stunning 13 bonus tracks (!!!) – mono single versions of Wild Flower, Otherside, Euphoria and Harbinger Complex tracks and mid 60s cuts by alternate Mainstream & Brent combos The New Dawn, The Word, The Ban, Thee Unusuals and The Ariel! Includes "Slave Of Desire" by New Dawn, "Now It's Over" and "So Little Time" by The Word, "Place Of Sin" by The Word, "I Could Go On" by Thee Unusuals and more. Includes a 24-page booklet with group histories and other notes. Killer! CD

Four classic albums from this hip British soul group – issued here in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is New Religion – a record that was also released in America by Atlantic Records. Although they were a UK soul act, Jimmy James and The Vagabonds were a perfect match for the Atlantic soul stable of the 60s. The group had a smooth group style that was partly uptown, partly northern soul – as clearly illustrated in this album, which is divided up into a "mood red: you feel like leaping" side, and a "mood blue: you feel like digging deeper" side. The band chose some good material that really helps them maintain a solid socking soul sound – including "The Entertainer" and "Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud" by Tony Clarke, "Ain't No Big Thing" and "I'm Just A Fool For You Girl" by Gerald Sims, and "Little Boy Blue" and "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield. Also features "Come To Me Softly", a sweet dreamy ballad by Jimmy, and kind of a bit crossover hit for the boys. London Swings is two-sided monster – as the album was originally split with work from the Alan Bown Set too! Here, the CD features just the live material from the soul group – a smoking performance from Jimmy James & The Vagabonds – one that goes way past the sweetness of their hits, and which has a crowd-pleasing, party-hearty approach to soul that's really great! Jimmy and the group serve up versions of "Sock It To Em JB", "That Driving Beat", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "You Don't Know Like I Know", and "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do". This Is Jimmy James & The Vagabonds is a record that featured some crossover tracks with New Religion – but the set here just features the exclusive cuts – including "I Feel Alright", "I Can't Get Back Home To My Baby", "Never Like This Before", "I Don't Wanna Cry", and "You Showed Me The Way". Open Up Your Soul is a record with a really wonderful sound – the deeply soulful vocals of Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, mixed with rich arrangements handled by Nicky Welsh, and produced to perfection by Brit maestro John Schroeder! The record's got the sophistication of some of the Richard Evans productions over at Chess/Cadet at the same time – and, no surprise, the group lead off with a great cover of The Dells "Wear It On Our Face" – then roll into cuts that include "Cry Like A Baby", "Good Day Sunshine", "Four Walls", "Everybody Loves A Winner", "If You're Gonna Love Me", and "Open Up Your Soul". CD also features 7 more bonus tracks from singles – including "Why", "Bumper To Bumper", "Close The Door", "Give Us A Light", "I Wanna Be your Everything", "Hungry For Love", and "Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do". CD

If you only know Gladys Knight from her Motown classics, or her big hits of the early 70s, you'll find a huge amount to discover here – because right from the start, the lady and her group were really something special! The idea of a male/female vocal group was a bit unique in the early 60s – not completely uncommon, but never handled with the perfection of Gladys Knight & The Pips – as the mixture of Knight's richly soulful lead and the harmonies of the trio of male singers was incredible – captured very strongly by Harlem producer Bobby Robinson, with singles that appeared on his own Fire/Fury label, and Vee Jay as well! There have been other sets that bring together work from this time, but this might be the most complete we've ever seen – 40 tracks in all, with a few alternates, and a few solo tracks by The Pips as well – titles that include "Operator", "Come See About Me", "Go Away Stay Away", "Who Knows", "Walking In Circles", "Jungle Love", "Linda", "Darling", "One More Lonely Night", "Every Beat Of My Heart", "Room In Your Heart", "It Hurts So Bad", "Letter Full Of Tears", "The Devil In Me", "Daybreak", "Lovers Always Forgive", and "How Do You Say Goodbye". CD

Outside of his early singles, this LP features some of our favorite Kurtis Blow tracks. The production is similar to that big beat Linn Drum/DMX style that the 1983-85 Profile artists used. With "8 Million Stories" – featuring Run-DMC, "AJ Scratch"– featuring the oft-sampled "Up in the Bronx where the people are fresh...", "Basketball" – about all the NBA stars of the time, "Ego Trip" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Major Lance was one of Chicago's first big soul stars – crossing over big on the charts with huge hits for the Okeh label during the early and mid 60s. That work is very fairly represented here on this 40 track set – with great notes, and a rich selection of songs that even includes a few previously unissued gems. Most of Lance's work was written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis – so you know you're getting top shelf material here – and the packaging job by Epic is as great as the rest of the titles in their Rhythm N Soul series. Titles include "Get My Hat", "Come See", "Ain't It A Shame", "Ain't No Soul", "It's The Beat", "Crying In The Rain", "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", "Keep On Loving You", "Mama Didn't Know", "Monkey Time", "Gotta Get Away", "It Ain't No Use", "Think Nothing About It", and "Everytime". CD

Major Lance was one of Chicago's first big soul stars – crossing over big on the charts with huge hits for the Okeh label during the early and mid 60s – and really helping to define the Chicago sound that would rise to even greater heights later in the decade! This 16 track set is a great little overview of Lance's work for Okeh – and many of the tunes were written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis, a key team in the studio that makes for some really killer numbers! Titles include "Come See", "It's The Beat", "Without A Doubt", "The Matador", "Girls", "The Monkey Time", "Delilah", "Um Um Um Um Um", "Mama Didn't Know", "Ain't It A Shame", "Sometimes I Wonder", and "I'm So Lost". CD

Organ funk opus number 4 from Link Quartet! This is another killer set with scores of classic styled keyboard groovers, plus some spacier, yet still tightly spun numbers from the core quartet – but the stretch out nicely on the set, too. It features vocals on a few numbers – plus guest horns and sitar. Titles include their groovy take "Day Tripper" with soulful vocals by Tameca Jones of Flyjack, plus "Vertical Floor", "Snake Eyes", "Drummore", "Je Reve Dans Mon Reve", "Je Suis Passe", "Fast Girls & Sexy Cars", "Big Peach", "Noir Le Blanc" and more. CD

This is a pretty jazzy record compared to the usual Mancini soundtrack-type stuff. It's mostly mellow the whole way through and has some very nice moments due to the quality of the playing. His orchestra includes such folks as Pete Condoli on trumpet, Dick Nash on trombone, Johnny Williams on piano, Victor Feldman on vibes & marimba and Larry Bunker on vibes. There is only one Mancini original – "The Beat" – and the others are jazz standards such as "Misty", "After Hours", "Mood Indigo", "Tippin In", "Sing, Sing, Sing", and "Big Noise From Winnetka". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary live set by The Monks – that offbeat group of American servicemen who recorded famously in Germany during the 60s, then dropped out of sight for decades until a big wave of interest in their sound during the 90s! This set is maybe the culmination of that interest – as it features the group's first concert performance in decades, and one that has them sounding really amazing – not dusted-off old rockers, but these fantastically sharp instrumentalists who are maybe adding in even more weird bits than before – fronted by singer Gary Burger, who has tremendous energy in driving on both the band and the crowd. Titles include "That's My Girl", "Shut Up", "Monk Time", "Hushie Pushie", "Oh How To Do Now", "We Do Wie Du", "Boys Are Boys", "Monk Jam", and "I Hate You". CD

Riz Ortolani is best known for his big scores of the 60s – but here, the maestro turns in two early 80s soundtracks – one sci-fi, one horror – both with a very distinct vibe! First up is I Guerrieri Dell'Anno 2072, a soundtrack that has some "future" elements in its use of 80s keyboards, but which also balances things with warmer currents – with a result that's almost like the way that the sound library scene was changing right at the start of the 80s – particularly in the way that KPM or DeWolfe were introducing electric elements amidst more familiar instrumentation. In other words, the set's not a straight keyboard/guitar score, as in the Goblin generation – but certainly nods to that shift. La Casa Sperduta Nel Parco is much more varied – a short score, but with tunes that move between disco groovers, to creepy lullabies, to some very dark-toned moments – all in a relatively short space! 2CD set features 23 tracks in all – including two bonus tracks from the 45rpm single for I Guerrieri Dell'Anno 2072. CD

Incredible earlier work from Johnny Otis and other great players – the first volume in Ace's Johnny Otis Story – in a number of settings with players including The Robins, Little Esther, Big Mama Thornton, The Jayos, The Sheiks and others! Remarkable, formative west coast rhythm & blues that really sounds great – from stripped down formations to bigger R&B orchestra numbers that are just as incredible – cut for Modern, Savoy, Peacock, Mercury, Dig, Federal and other labels. 25 tracks: "Johnny Otis Signature", "Good Old Blues" with Pete Guitar Lewis, "Double Crossing Blues" with The Robins & Little Esther, "Oopy-Doo", "Cattle Train" with Jimmy "Hurricane Edwards" Beasley, "Shake It Lucy Baby", "Buy Bye Baby" with Marie Adams, "Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me)", "Every Beat Of My Heart" with The Royals and more, building up to '58's huge "Willie And The Hand Jive". CD

Essential grooves from Tito Puente – a really unique record for the time, and a set that's only grown in power over the years! The album's an all-percussion jam from Puente – one that strips away most other instrumentation, to focus just on heavy drum work from Puente and a core group of players that includes Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, and Patato Valdes! There's only just a bit of bass – played by Robert Rodriguez – to focus the energy of the percussion, and the timbales, congas, and bongos offer up both melodic lines and rhythmic grooves – a groundbreaking sound, recorded brilliantly back in the 50s! The album's got a killer stripped-down feel that you rarely get on other Tito Puente records – and tracks include "Tito on Timbales", "Swinging Mambo", "Congo Beat", "Sticks On Bongo", "Tito & Mongo On Timbales", "Four Beat Mambo", and "The Big Four". LP, Vinyl record album

Redds & the Boys never made it big on the national scene like Trouble Funk or EU, but they were one of the stronger Go Go acts, and this great single from '85 shows that, with some nice horn stabs in the chorus, chanted group vocals and a heavy syncopated beat. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A hard-driving big band set from Buddy Rich – recorded with one of his groovy 60s lineups! The live date features work brom Bobby Shew on trumpet and Ernie Watts on alto – and titles include "Wack Wack", "Norwegian Wood", "The Beat Goes On", and "Mexicali Nose". CD

A wonderful album from George Russell – and a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast that includes John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Max Roach, and Hal McKusick – all working together to paint tones on the tunes that George has crafted to set up his scene of New York in the 50s. Most importantly, though, Jon Hendricks acts as the narrator of the album – talking and scatting in hipster mode, laying out a bit of beat rapportage about the Big Apple, all done in a very cool 50s style that's a bit different from his own vocal work. Titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". CD

A heavy package of work from the legendary Skyy – the funky club combo headed by Randy Muller after his work with BT Express and Brass Construction! With Skyy, Muller honed his groove even more than before – creating a really tight focus on bass-heavy bottoms, and focusing all instruments in the group into a solidly soaring sound that showed that funk was alive and well on the dancefloor – even well beyond the disco years – as you'll hear in this collection of work that not only includes Salsoul Records classics by Skyy, but also later work for Capitol and Warner too. The 2CD set really runs the gamut of Skyy sounds – and links their disco material with some great later 80s grooves too – on titles that include "The Groove Is Bad", "First Time Around (12" mix)", "Call Me", "Let's Celebrate (12" mix)", "Real Love", "Up & Over", "Start Of A Romance", "Givin It To You (12" special mix)", "Bad Boy (12" version)", "When You Touch Me", "Get Into The Beat", "Movin Violation", "Let Love Shine (12" version)", "You Got Me Up", "Love Plane", "Skyyzoo (12" mix)", "Fallin In Love Again", "Disco Dancin", and "Superlove". CD

A big moment for the British ska scene – and the soundtrack to a film that featured live work by nearly all of the big names at the time! The album features live work by artists who owed a lot to 2 Tone, but who'd even moved onto bigger fame by the film – but who are working here in a nice back-to-basics mode – and titles include live versions of "Concrete Jungle", "Man At C&A", and "Nite Klub" by The Specials; "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Big Shot", and "Ranking Full Stop" by The English Beat; "Inner London Violence" and "Lip Up Fatty" by Bad Manners; "Easy Life" by The Bodysnatchers; and "Razor Blade Alley" and "One Step Beyond" by Madness. LP, Vinyl record album

11 big ones from Edwin Starr – recorded during his classic late 60s years at Motown! Includes the tracks "Soul Master", "Oh How Happy", "Way Over There", "Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Heart", "Ooo Baby Baby", "You Beat Me To The Punch", and "Cloud Nine". CD

Wow! This record takes all the directions that soul was heading towards in the early 80s, and wraps them into one record! System has it all – geri curls, bass pedal riffing, tinny synth drums, over-produced flanged-out vocals, and tinny but catchy little tunes that were designed to cross over with the "hot mix" crowd in a big way. Tracks include "It Takes 2", "Big City Beat", "I Don't Run From Danger", "My Radio Rocks", and "Did In By A Friend". CD

A well-titled set from the lyrical king – the mighty T La Rock, one of the key mid 80s MCs who helped introduce a whole new level of sophistication to hip hop! T La Rock maybe never hit the heights of KRS-One, Rakim, or other contemporaries – but this set has all the sharp fire and intensity that made that moment of new creativity so great – from the edgey production work and scratches by Louie Lou, to the extra help from Mantronik, and even the album's early appearances by Special K and MC Serch – which further the sense of collaboration from the streets that made some of the Fresh Records sets so great. Titles include "Lyrical King", "Back To Burn", "Three Minutes Of Beat Box", "Bust These Lyrics", "This Beat kicks", "Big Beat In London", and "It's Time To Chill". LP, Vinyl record album

A bevy of beat-oriented abstractions from the man behind the Wagon Christ and Plug monikers, cut at the height of the Mo Wax driven headz era. You can call this downtempo, trip hop, abstract beats or whatever you like, but we know you know what we're talking about here – sampler science for the head nod set! 16 tracks in all, including "Rank Rink Ring", "Voyage Into The Unknown", "Fused Into Music", "No Turn Unstoned", "Reality Check", "Am I Still Dreaming?", "2001 Beats", "Original Soundmaster" and "Space Race". CD

Fierce funky sounds from Czechoslovakia – all recorded during a time when the nation was going through a huge cultural revolution! It's a well-known fact that the Czech scene of the 60s and 70s was one of the hippest behind the Iron Curtain – but while Czech films and literature gained quite a bit of attention in the western world at the time, most of their music hardly ever had a chance to cross the border – which makes this sweet collection a real musical discovery! The work here all comes from the vaults of Supraphon Records – and many of the groups seem to have a core inspiration in some sort of jazz – either 60s soul jazz, 70s fusion, or some of the jazz-rock modes that were big in the European scene of the time – all of which makes for great grooves throught, no matter what the setting – and some surprisingly strong links to American soul sounds of the 60s, which no doubt made their way to Prague through the UK and German beat groups of the time. The package is overflowing with band names and song titles you'll never be able to pronounce, but the music has a really universal appeal to fans of funk and soul, and maybe freakbeat as well – on titles that include "Zlom Vaz" by Flamingo, "Leto Leto" by Eva Pilarova, "Beat" by Ferdinan Havlik, "I've Never Been So Young" by Karel Gott, "Barbarella" by Waldemar Matuska, "Ja Nechci Mit" by Jitka Zelenkova & The Gondolan Brothers, "Polobotka" by Jazz Cellula, "Yvsoka Hra" by Viktor Sodoma, "Jedeme Dal" by Bezinky, "Nestuj A Pojd" by Golden Kids, and "Kyvadio" by Discobolos. LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of reggae, rocksteady, and blue beat work from the late 60s – all of it originally released under the guidance of producer Dandy – also a reggae artists of his own, with roots in Kingston, and working here with a big impact on the UK scene! The albums here were all originally issued on the Down Town imprint – a small sub label that Trojan Records gave to Dandy for his own projects – which resulted in the two killer compilations Red Red Wine volumes 1 and 2 – a great overview of some of the strongly soul-influenced sounds that were bubbling up in London at the time. Dandy himself is one of the key artists on the collection – and titles include "Move Your Mule", "I'm Your Puppet", "Reggae In Your Jeggae", "Got To Come Back", "Raining In My Heart", and "Can't Get Used To Losing You" by Dandy – plus "Red Red Wine" and "I'm Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got" by Tony Tribe, "Someday We'll Be Together" and "Love Me Tonight" by Audrey, "Lover's Question" and "Spreading Love" by Gene Rondo, "Lead Them" by Desmond Riley, "Games People Play" by The Israelites, and "Song Byrd" by Lyndon Johns. CD2 begins with the Trojan classic Blow Your Horn by Rico & The Rudies – a classic early album from Rico – the legendary Jamaican trombonist who's gotta be one of the few people who can pose with his instrument and still look pretty badass overall! That quality also comes through in Rico's music – a famous lead trombone sound on countless Jamaican recordings from the ska years onwards – really given some great time here in the spotlight on a set of tunes that soar out with lots of rough rocksteady rhythms! Rico blows strongly and soulfully – on titles that include "Rico's Message", "Niyah Man", "Caribbean Serenade", "Jumping The Gun", "Mighty Dan", "Session Begin", "Biafra", and "Quando Quando" – and the album also features some guest appearances on "The Lion" by Dandy, and on "Muma Muma" by The Israelites. Last up is Your Musical Doctor – a full album with Dandy as the lead singer on his own – with titles that include "Touch Of Poison", "Everybody Loves A Winner", "Gumption Feeling", "Meeting Over Yonder", "Here I Go Again", "Come On Home", and "Run Girl". 2CD set features 51 tracks in all – with a few more bonus tracks too! CD

Get ready from killer Rock Steady compilation – a late 60s set with Alton Ellis, The Termites, The Bassies, Soul Vendors, The Hamlins, Soul Agents, Keith & Ken and more – produced by Clement Dodd! 15 tracks in all: "Never Love Again" by Alton Ellis, "My Last Love" by The Termites, "Big Mistake" by The Bassies, "If You Got Soul" by Pete Young, "Groove To The Beat" by Keith & Ken, "Money Lover" by Soul Agents and more. CD

A fantastic collection that looks at the relationship between American soul and reggae in a very unique way – not the early crossovers of soul and rocksteady in the 60s, but a big wave of disco-inspired sounds in the 70s! The set brings together some great Jamaican and British versions of American club tracks from the late 70s and early 80s, plus some soul cuts from earlier years – often done with rhythms that are slower and more bad-stepping, in a true reggae mode – but with songs and lyrics that are lifted right from bit hits by artists like Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and others! The mix of modes is wonderful – and maybe comes across even better than on some of the Afro disco records of the period – thanks to a great track selection, in the usual Soul Jazz standard. Titles include "I'm Every Woman" by Latisha, "In The Rain" by rRnest Ranglin, "Reggae Beat Goes On" by Family Choice, "Ring My Bell" by Blood Sisters, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Derrick Laro & Trinity, "Do It Nice & Easy" by Chariot Riders, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Black Harmony, "Upside Down" by Carol Cool, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Sharon Forrester, "Rappers Delight" by Xanadu & Sweet Lady, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" by Risco Connection, "Am I The Same Girl" by Charmaine Burnette, and "Be Thankful For What You Got" by One Blood. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of jazzy groovers – one that effortlessly combines older material and newer recordings, all with a great ear that never tires in its pursuit of the groove! The blend of old and new is a bit like some of the collections we used to love from Gilles Peterson back in the last century – but Paul Murphy definitely has his own style and way of choosing a tune, and like Peterson, he has a great way of setting a new sort of fire with jazz – one that will burn strongly for generations to come! Titles include "Yatra-Ta" by Terje Terasmaa, "African Mailman" by Rhythmagic Orchestra, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Blue Mode, "Foot In The Door" by Onward International, "Zombie" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Emnete (live)" by Imperial Tiger Orchestra, "4 Beat Cha Cha Cha" by Lucas Van Merwijk & His Cubop City Big Band, "Tribute To Mulatu" by Patchworks, "Koumba Fri Fri" by Mamelon, "Sorrow Tears & Blood" by Shola Adisa Farrar & Florian Pellissier Quartet, and "Mambo De La Pinta" by Art Pepper. LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe the Movements series is up to its 8th volume – but only because each new volume feels so fresh and funky, it's like they're starting from scratch every time! The groove here is still very much in the blend of funk and jazz that first got the collection started, but the label's also stepped back a bit in time – to include some of those mod jazz and R&B numbers that have been making big waves in the funky 45 underground of late – a nice addition of early 60s numbers that really open up the later soul and funk tracks. Titles include "Feeling Good" by Kay Dennis, "Bald Headed Beulah" by Papa Albert French, "Funky Frog" by The Noteables, "I'll Leave You Girl" by Shelly Fisher, "Sam Sam The Money Man" by Joe Wilson, "Slow Down Girl" by Howlett Smith, "Top Going Down Bottom Going Up" by Nathan Bartell, "Love At First Sight" by John Timmons & Funkshun, "Funky Beat" by Deep Heet, and "Sunshine Superman" by Ulysses Crockett. CD

British rock, but with plenty of soul – as these artists were some of the first in the world to be influenced by the sound of early Motown Records – then set about trying to create their own strand of Detroit soul! The influence of Motown on the sound of so many other scenes has been well documented over the years – but this cool little set gets right to the heart of the matter – by representing the kind of British singers and groups who were some of the first to revel in the spirit of Berry Gordy and his creations – then find a way to move things forward with new recordings of their own! As always with Ace Records, the set is way more than just music – as there's a big booklet of notes, with details on all the many tracks and artists – a double dozen selection, with tracks that includes "Sweet Thing" by Georgie Fame, "Mickey's Monkey" by The Hollies, "No 1 In Your Heart" by Herbie Goins & The Nighttimers, "Heat Wave" by Beverley Jones & The Prestons, "One Of These Days" by Guy Darrell, "I Want To Go Back There Again" by Bill Kenwright & The Runaways, "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by Elkie Brooks, "I'll Be Doggone" by Billy J Kramer with The Dakotas, "As Long As I Know He's Mine" by Julie Grant, "Money" by The Undertakers, "I Want A Love I Can See" by John Leyton & The LeRoys, "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" by The Roulettes, "Every Little Bit Hurts" by Spencer Davis Group, "You Really Got A Hold On Me" by Small Faces, "Never Leave Your Baby's Side" by Tony Jackson, "No Good Without You" by The Birds, and "Let's Go Somewhere" by Beryl Marsden. CD

One of the coolest projects we've heard from Rich Medina in years – a killer compilation that brings together older Afro Funk tracks from the 70s with a big amount of cuts from more contemporary years – all with a blend that pushes the spirit of the continent way out into the cosmos! Medina's always been one of the most forward-thinking artists in the underground – and you can definitely hear that quality in this set – as Rich effortlessly steps back and forth in space and time, to create a unified sound that bristles with electricity, while still reveling in all the key acoustic elements from the 70s. Titles include "For The People" by Aquil, "Bango Fields" by Kutiman, "For Real (2011 edition Atjazz rmx)" by Atjazz, Olodumare" by Wale Oyejide, "Bushman" by Asiko Afrobeat Ensemble, "Stalemate" by Fela & The Afrika 70, "Jungle Beat (Mutaba)" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestroes, "Soul Makossa" by Original Nairobi Afro Band, "Why Can't We Live Together (Sao Benitez BV dub)" by River Oceaon, and "Na Oil" by Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80. CD

New York's a mighty big place, but it's got a nicely intimate feel in this 60s set from the Dave Brubeck Quartet – one of the combo's overlooked gems from their years on Columbia! The music is all from the TV show Mr Broadway, but there's hardly a showtune feel to the set – and instead, the groove is almost in a hip Henry Mancini sort of mode, but delivered with a smaller combo feel. Tracks are somewhat shorter than the usual Brubeck outing, and balanced nicely between upbeat tracks and more sensitive ones – the former with some well-cut lines by Paul Desmond on alto sax, the latter often with a bit more piano from Dave. The rest of the group includes Gene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums – and titles include "Mr Broadway", "Broadway Bossa Nova", "Sixth Sense", "Something To Sing About", "Spring In Central Park", "Lonely Mr Broadway", "Winter Ballad", "Upstage Rhumba", and "Summer On The Sound". CD